SUV Rollovers

When your SUV rolls over, you are at the mercy of the automakers who continue to put their defective vehicles on the road.

SUVs are among the most popular vehicles of cars on the road – they ferry children to soccer games, mom to the grocery store, or the whole family on a vacation adventure. But because of the way they are built, they are among the most dangerous vehicles on the road – to their drivers and passengers, and the drivers and passengers in other cars.

Because SUVs have a high profile and narrow track width, they are especially prone to roll over. When they do roll over, their weak roof and poor crash protection place occupants at a high risk for death or paralysis. Statistics show that although SUV rollovers make up only four percent of all vehicle crashes, they account for nearly a third of motor vehicle deaths.  

Public Citizen, an organization that is a vocal proponent of auto safety, says that rollovers would not be deadly if SUVs were designed differently. SUV roofs, they say, are so fragile that in an accident, they crush occupants’ heads and spines. Safety experts agree that the lethal defect in SUV rollover accidents is roof crush and the collapse of roof supports, which can eject occupants and expose them to even greater injury. In a 2008 study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety on eleven mid-sized SUVs, the vehicles with the strongest roofs demonstrated nearly half the injury risks of those with the weakest roofs.

Despite increasing evidence of SUVs’ tendency to roll, and the deadly threats posed by flimsy roofs and inadequate safety protection, the Federal government, consumer groups, and automakers continue to debate roof strength standards and testing procedures. In the meantime, some automakers continue to ignore the evidence and market their defective SUVs. So the death toll mounts, as does the number of drivers and passengers brain-damaged or paralyzed.

At Searcy Denney, we have seen first-hand the tragic consequences of SUV manufacturers’ negligence. Here is one of the most egregious examples:

• Searcy Denney attorney Sean Domnick represented a Florida family whose Ford Bronco II went into a spin when a tire blew, rolling over onto the passenger side roof edge. The passenger in the front seat sustained severe injuries to her skull and forehead. As the Bronco continued to roll over, window glass shattered and two back seat passengers were ejected and killed.
  
  The Searcy Denney team’s meticulous investigation linked the two deaths, and the front-seat passenger’s injuries, to the Bronco’s rollover and crushed roof. It became clear that Ford Motor Company had known since the 1980s that the Bronco II could roll over, even in ordinary use. But the company failed to design a roll cage or other protective device that would protect occupants. In addition, Ford failed to provide window glass that would not shatter and allow passengers to be ejected.
  
  Ford Motor Company hired high-powered defense attorneys from Florida and Colorado, but after extensive mediation and negotiation, Searcy Denney was able to negotiate a seven-figure confidential settlement.

This is only one of the many SUV rollover cases where Searcy Denney attorneys have sought justice for their injured clients and gained substantial verdicts or settlements. If a loved one has been killed, or you or a family member has been injured, in a SUV rollover accident, please fill out our Contact Form, or call us to learn more and arrange a confidential free consultation.